MA State Police Begins Body Cam Pilot Program

Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, announced Monday that the State Police has begun a body camera pilot program as part of her wide-ranging slate of operational reforms. Cameras from several different manufacturers will be evaluated over the next six months by approximately 100 Troopers.

The cameras will provide an additional level of accountability and accuracy for Troopers during their interactions with the public, increase officer safety, and enhance the ability to accurately document the actions of criminal offenders.

Body cameras offer the potential to bring a new level of officer safety, transparency, and accurate documentation to the tens of thousands of interactions our personnel have with the public every year. We are evaluating several different body camera platforms before selecting the best solution. My Command Staff and I are working collaboratively with the union that represents Troopers and Sergeants on this important new capability.

Col. Kerry Gilpin, Mass State Police

Details of the body camera pilot program:

• Pilot program duration of six months involving approximately 100 participants from the State Police;

• Pilot participants will evaluate different vendor devices over this six-month period with the goal of identifying the best camera solution for the department’s policing mission;

• The Massachusetts State Police and SPAM signed a MOU last week in which SPAM agreed to support the program;

• The pilot program will scale to 100 participants over the next two weeks.

The camera program is the latest among numerous operational and fiscal reforms that Colonel Gilpin and her Command Staff have undertaken over the past 10 months, including the installation of Automated Vehicle Locator systems in all patrol cruisers, with expansion to other cruisers planned, quarterly audits of the Department’s top 50 earners to ensure adherence to relevant policies, rules and regulations, increased staff in the Internal Affairs and Staff Inspections Sections for increased accountability, and contracting with a major audit firm to review Departmental payroll functions.